Brazilian-American professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Mackenzie Dern was born in Brazil. She’s become well-known in the martial arts community for her unique grappling abilities. Mackenzie is famous outside of the mat for her personal life, especially her marriage to her spouse.
Although specifics about her spouse may change based on the situation and period, he is frequently characterized as a dependable spouse who encourages her in her professional endeavors. Mackenzie’s narrative is enhanced by their relationship, which highlights the value of love and support throughout her athletic career.
Mackenzie Dern Husband
Wesley Santos, a professional surfer, was Dern’s spouse. In 2022, they got divorced. Following the divorce process, Dern made a public accusation of physical violence against Santos. In February 2019, Dern declared that she was pregnant and decided to postpone her MMA career. In June 2019, her daughter, Moa, was born.
Mackenzie Dern Details Her Struggles With Her Husband, Wesley Santos
Dern accused her ex-husband of domestic abuse in the divorce papers. Santos fiercely refuted these allegations in a statement he made, accusing Dern of domestic abuse in return. The divorce was highly contentious and widely publicized due to the back-and-forth accusations between Santos and Dern.
She clarified her condition further in an interview with Ariel Helwani. Says she,
“So I feel like I’ve been having to defend myself this whole time for things that I never thought I’d have to defend myself for. I was in a situation in my relationship where I couldn’t even defend myself, because I was getting, like, threatened that if I did anything, I’d be talking to the police and I could lose my daughter.”
In the end, the two were granted a divorce by the courts. But Dern had to pay a price for it. Her daughter Moa was given shared custody. She was also ordered to pay $10,000 to cover Santos’s legal fees because she was considered the family’s principal provider.
She was additionally mandated to pay $4,006 per month in child support. During the press conference before her about with Andrade, Dern discussed the financial strain of having to pay $4,006 in child support each month. Fans of the UFC can learn a lot from Dern’s resilience, even in the face of her troubles.
Mackenzie Dern opens up on her divorce.
“It’s crazy for me cause I always want to represent someone who can stand up for themselves and can defend themselves for all the women out there – so for me to see myself in that situation was really hard.”
Tough to hear. Very open… pic.twitter.com/jNARpjyvTP
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) May 24, 2023
Mackenzie Dern’s Career
At Legacy FC 58, Dern was supposed to make her mixed martial arts debut against Kenia Rosas. Her debut was decided unanimously in her favor. At Legacy FC 61, Dern was supposed to face Montana De La Rosa.
The fight was initially slated to take place at strawweight, but it was eventually rescheduled to catchweight after Dern lost weight by 2.8 pounds. She submitted in the opening round to win the fight.
Katherine Roy and Dern were slated to square off at LFA 6. Dern lost four pounds, checked in overweight for the second time in a row, and was forced to give up twenty percent of her purse. She was declared the winner by a unanimous vote.
For her fourth professional bout, Dern stepped up to flyweight and was slated to face Mandy Polk at LFA 24. Polk lost to her via rear-naked choke in the opening round. In November 2017, Dern signed with Invicta Fighting Championship after winning all four of her professional fights.
UFC 222 featured Dern’s promotional debut versus Ashley Yoder on March 3, 2018. She prevailed by split decision. On May 12, 2018, Dern fought Amanda Cooper at UFC 224.
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Dern weighed in at 123 pounds, 7 pounds over the strawweight non-title fight limit of 116 pounds. Dern was penalized 30% of her purse for the catchweight contest. The first-round rear naked choke submission won the fight for Dern.
Dern fought Amanda Ribas at UFC on ESPN+ 19 on October 12, 2019, after maternity leave. She was unanimously defeated. Dern was scheduled to face Ariane Carnelossi at UFC Fight Night 173 on April 25, 2020. A travel ban led Carnelossi to withdraw from the fight.
Dern vs. Hannah Cifers was on April 25, 2020. The promotion postponed this event on April 9. Woodley vs. Burns took place on May 30, 2020, at UFC on ESPN. A first-round kneebar by Dern made her the first UFC woman to win a fight by leg lock. She also won her first Performance of the Night award.
At UFC Fight Night 178 on September 19, 2020, Dern faced Randa Markos. She won via first-round submission. She won her second straight Performance of the Night. On December 12, 2020, Dern met Virna Jandiroba at UFC 256. Dern unanimously won the fight.
Dern fought Nina Nunes at UFC on ABC 2 on April 10, 2021. She won by first-round armbar. She won Performance of the Night. On October 9, 2021, Dern fought Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 194. She was unanimously defeated. She won Fight of the Night.
At UFC 273, Dern fought Tecia Torres on April 9, 2022. Dern won a split decision over Torres. At UFC Fight Night 211 on October 1, 2022, Dern faced Yan Xiaonan. The majority defeated her.
Dern vs. Angela Hill was planned for May 13, 2023, at UFC on ABC 4. This bout was moved back one week to headline UFC Fight Night 223. She defeated her opponent unanimously. She won Fight of the Night.
At UFC 295 on November 11, 2023, Dern challenged former UFC Strawweight Champion Jéssica Andrade. She was TKOed in the second round. Dern faced Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 on February 17, 2024, replacing Tatiana Suarez. Dern was unanimously defeated. She won another Fight of the Night.
